"If one comes up." The smile grows. "Yeah. I-I have to wave 'em so the awkward of 'Hi, it's your prodigal son! Miss me?' goes down from appalling to mildly alarming, first. But if...."

Wash fades as he spots Mal's book. He leans forward, elbows on his knees, to peer at the cover.

"...you're not...reading...the....What are you reading?"